Ah Fai, the Dumb (1997)
Reviewed by: jfierro on 1999-12-21
Pure drivel about mentally challenged Ah Fai and the Temple Streetresidents who care for him after his mother leaves to marry a wealthy man in the U.S. After Ah Fai accidentally falls off the roof, he not only has a normal IQ, but he gains powers of prognastication, becoming famous all over Hong Kong. Of course, this changes his relationship with his former friends. I know the critics think Raymond To is just the greatest scriptwriter, but I find that he writes really overblown dramas that throw in unnecessary plot devices just to make an already obvious point. And Eric Kot has never been accused of being a restrained actor. Put these two together and you get Eric so over-the-top and unbelievable that I was actually rooting for his character to die. Only Law Koon-Lan as the long-suffering mother of Ah Fai manages to outshine the material. I don't know why she is always relegated to these thankless supporting character parts. Maybe somebody will write an intelligent script just for her so we can skip all this useless melodrama in favor of a real story.